You’ve almost definitely come across the phrase “A picture is worth a thousand words.” This is absolutely true, especially in the marketing world, as brands compete for market visibility and dominance. Photographers also play a vital role, especially in the modern social media marketing niche. They are responsible for the stunning and informative pictures posted on social media, and what’s better than having an experienced photographer who understands marketing dynamics?
Aliyah Dastour, an experienced photographer and marketer, is a classic example of how lethal this combination can be. She has over a decade of photography experience working with various brands. Over the years, Aliyah has perfected the art of capturing her clients’ personalities through headshots. This makes her a highly skilled photographer who helps not only other brands build their images but also mentors other photographers to build studios.
After serving tens of thousands of clients, Aliyah transitioned into sharing the creatively captured images on social media.
“I discovered that there is a system in extracting and developing each person’s brand and sharing it creatively through photos on social media. I do this even when my clients aren’t aware of what their brand is about. Having served over 10,000 business owners, I believe in capturing each person in a way that allows them to stand out and build a brand around their personality while looking approachable and professional,” Aliyah explains.
An established brand, Aliyah has cemented her position in the marketing space as one of the few marketers focused on headshots. Her focus is on growing her client’s numbers without including physical products, a major factor that makes her stand out from the rest. This has seen her grow and expand to successfully open two studios in the DMV area. She has also established The Loudoun 100 Project, a community-based project. This also includes donating over $100K to the community through charities and other non-profit organizations.
Even though she’s a successful entrepreneur now, Aliyah wants everyone to understand that the journey to the top is never meant to be easy. She has faced multiple challenges that she had to overcome to keep her dream alive. The biggest challenges were during her early days in business, where she was living month to month.
But a self-motivated entrepreneur on a mission, Aliyah was able to overcome all this by trusting in the journey. This included investing more hours into understanding the marketing world and its operations. Her work ethic and desire to learn from everyone made it easy for her to adapt and continuously innovate.
Aliyah now believes that you can also drive your dream to life. The key is remaining focused while working hard to add value to what you offer. Remember, hundreds of other entrepreneurs offer the same service, so work on what makes you stand out.
Aliyah’s mission is to continue impacting lives and helping thousands of other photographers leverage her systems and techniques. Her dream is to tour the world and possibly establish an orphanage and children’s hospital which has been her dream since she was a little girl.
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